Product description

Product Description

2012 five CD set from Welsh singer/songwriter Karl Wallinger and his World Party crew. Arkeology contains 70 tracks that span 25 years including four albums worth of previously unreleased studio material alongside 15 live tracks PLUS a stunning coffee table book with lyrics, stories, pictures and more.

Review

Twelve years after their last studio album, Karl Wallinger has finally decided he’s ready to resurrect World Party, the vehicle for his songwriting that birthed Robbie Williams’ She’s the One, originally a track on their fourth album, 1997’s Egyptology.

Instead of stepping back into the studio, however, the former member of The Waterboys has immersed himself in his archives and emerged with an exhaustive – and sometimes exhausting – five-CD set of rarities, live recordings, B sides and demos. There are also new tracks, some recorded a year or so ago, and in total 70 tracks are unreleased, making this a treasure trove for completists, if not a route into his work for new arrivals.

Arkeology is packaged imaginatively in an Any-Year diary that contains images of memorabilia, useful anniversaries (as selected by Wallinger) and, naturally, recording details. Inevitably it’s filled with its fair share of throwaway material: an alternative version of What Is Love All About features helium vocals; I’m Only Dozing is interrupted by a distracting ‘tribute’ to The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society; while Silly Song is exactly what it says on the tin. But there’s still plenty of evidence of Wallinger’s talent scattered throughout, more than enough to justify the collection’s existence.

Wallinger wears his influences on his sleeve. Alongside Prince pastiches like Everybody Dance Now, there are regular tips of the hat to The Beatles, whether on covers of their classics Dear Prudence, McCartney’s Man We Was Lonely, or the mop-top flavoured All the Love Was Wasted (not to mention the image on the diary’s frontispiece).

He’s a classy writer himself, too, as evidenced by Lost in Infinity and the affecting Another World (recorded in 1986). In addition, a version of She’s the One (recorded for Later… in 1997) reveals how little Williams brought to the table, though a sax-fuelled live recording of World Party’s debut single, Ship of Fools, is a little too loose to eclipse the original.

One can only hope these nearly five hours of material are a precursor to more than merely live activity in the future.

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

I had long given up hope of there being a new World Party album emerging. Karl Wallinger was never one to rush out releases with Beatles' regularity, but when his new albums arrived, they were always worth the wait. World Party have become one of those almost forgotten bands of the late eighties and nineties, who are rarely referenced these days, although I do still hear Message in the Box played on radio two from time to time. It can be easy to forget what a huge success they were in their day, with Goodbye Jumbo being voted 1990's album of the year by Q Magazine.

Disaster struck some years back when Karl suffered a brain aneurysm, from which I gather he recovered, but was left with some perceptual difficulties, which made guitar playing a little more difficult. However, he played several tours in the States and in Australia in the mid noughties, and the band's 1998 album Dumbing Up was repackaged and re-released, and then... nothing.

Arkeology is like being left in Karl's studio overnight, and being given access to his whole library. There is 5 hours worth of music here, and quite a few bits and pieces will already be familiar to serious fans, having been on bootlegs and then freely available from Karl himself over the years, on his own websites. I recorded some of his BBC live appearances on old cassettes, which are now becoming unplayable. I also had some treasured CD and cassette singles, which had fantastic b-sides, such as the gorgeous Time on My Hands, and No More Crying. All these are here.

There are a number of live versions - concert and radio studio - of the well known songs, which always had a great groove, and which were played differently to the studio versions. There are some fantastic stoned studio experiemental grooves, instumentals, and dance beats, and we are treated to some lovely examples of Karl's Beatlesque sense of humour, such as the George Formby like Silly Song, as well as some sublime covers. The cover of Dylan's Sweetheart Like You has always been a favourite.

But what will really be of interest to the fan will be those new tracks, dotted throughout the 5 CD's. It is easy to make up your own playlist of your favourite tunes from this collection, so you can assemble a 12 track new World Party CD, if you don't particularly want to listen to some of the live tracks regularly. Particular favourites of the new songs are the amazing Lost in Infinity, which has everything I have always loved about the epic songwriting of Wallinger - including several great extended loose guitar solos - and Trouble Down Here, which sounds like it should have been on the first WP album. Everybody's Falling in Love and Photograph are also real growers, with their immensely catchy choruses. These new songs alone have made the purchase worthwhile, but the whole project makes me feel extremely grateful to Karl for making all this material available again.

I wish him well, if he reads this, although I think he has a dislike of the internet and probably all things modern, like twitter, x factor and celebrity (don't we all?). I imagine him living a bucolic life out in the countryside somewhere, bimbling away in his studio when he feels like it. Karl - we love you! Please consider playing a few live gigs in the UK!

***NEWSFLASH*** June 28th 2012

In case any UK/European World Party fans weren't aware of this, a UK World Party tour has this week been announced. The band will be celebrating their 25th Anniversary with a night at the Albert Hall, London on 1st November. There are also several smaller provincial gigs being arranged too. Thank you world - Thank you Karl!!

Its been a very long wait for any new World Party music and this massive collection is mostly old music mixed in with a few new tracks. But this is a really great collection of songs - some new versions of old songs, some unheard of tracks and a few Beatles covers. I would say that this is the best World Party collection of songs since 'Goodbye Jumbo'. The diary idea doesn't really work but I love all the photos and comments - its like a giant old LP cover that you look at while listening to the music and what a load of music there is - 5 CDs. But there is truly no real filler it's all good stuff. Ok so this is not a cheap product but it's well worth it. Go on treat yourself - you're worth it - this is a classy cracking collection of tip tops tunes - I'm only Dozing.

My expectations meet all advance satisfaction. Purchase of the "Arkeology" is the must have for all the thru-the-years fans of Karl Wallinger's music. Lots of great unreleased songs, covers of Beatles classics and more, demos, live shots... . All performances are great and the joy of discovering this huge part of music will be continuing for a long time. Highly recommended.

Love Karl Wallinger and World Party and have been tracking this for a while waiting for the price to reach a certain level, which it did hence the order. Apart from popping up on iPod ocassionally, I haven't listened to World Party for some time and this is a reminder of just how good they were/are. Don;t think you have to be a World Party anorak to enjoy this, but if you know nothing about the band, go for a 'normal' album first as this is not a best of. Great album for people who like to delve a little deeper into their music.

This is a BIG welcome back to Mr Karl Wallinger, poet, singer, musician, and an inspiration!Arkeology is world wind tour of the last 25years, of World Party.From interviews, live preformances, cover tracks(From BB King to Dylan) and most of all the creative words, tunes and wisdom from Karl, these albums cover everything! 5 CD's for the price of a 3 course dinner! But more to digest!Not forgetting the anytime, any year, diary!With 70 tracks of pure bliss i would recommend this album, and submerse yourselves in the world....of World Party!Overall this album is a must for all you music lovers, or just lovers.One World, One Love, World party!!!!!!!!!

If you like World Party buy this box set or should I say Diary. 5 CDs over 80 tracks some filler but plenty of killer. Great cover versions of Lucille, Like a Rolling Stone, Dear Prudence and StandMy new favourite track and at my age I don't here much that moves me is on Disc 4 track one , ' BREAK ME AGAIN' a 9 minute rolling groove I can't stop playing, Why? at 5 minutes 4 seconds Karl sings , 'Till you walked in the room and you gave me all that ... about selling , Selling what I said? Sell your mind' All the singles are hear to most as live tracks. Roll on the 7 disc Waterboys , Fishermans' Blues Box Set.

This has got to be the highlight of my year so far. I recommend it to the world! There are several tracks I am mystified as to why they weren't top ten hits. Go buy a copy of the unusually presented Five disc set You'll play it all the time!